Gavin Newsom

California’s governor called upon the state’s cities and counties to ban homeless encampments this week, even providing blueprint legislation for dismantling the tents lining streets, parks and waterways throughout much of the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, made homelessness a priority of his administration when he took office in 2019. It had previously been an issue primarily for mayors and other local officials, but Newsom pumped money into converting old motels into housing and launched other initiatives to tackle the issue.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has drawn up a template local ordinance for the state's local governments to help them clear and ban the homeless encampments that have popped up in recent years.

Newsom cannot force the adoption of his ordinance, but he can use the carrot of billions of dollars in state funding for housing issues to encourage cities to take it on. He vowed to crack down on encampments last year.

Why it Matters

Gov. Gavin Newsom asked cities Monday across California to ban homeless encampments, releasing a template policy he hopes they'd adopt but stopping short of conditioning funding on their doing so.

Why it matters: Newsom, who's widely expected to run for president in 2028, is continuing to embrace a tougher approach on homelessness — reflecting increased voter acceptance and a Supreme Court ruling a year ago that cleared the way for cities to crack down on encampments.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released details about his multibillion-dollar plan to tackle the homeless crisis in the Golden State and is pushing cities and counties to take "immediate action." 

On Monday, Newsom shared a model ordinance for cities and counties to "immediately address dangerous and unhealthy encampments and connect people experiencing homelessness with shelter and services."

"There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets," Newsom said in a news release.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing the Trump administration over international tariffs. He says that the tariffs will cause major damage to the state’s economy.

The tariffs go from a 10% duty on most goods all the way up to 145% on many Chinese goods.

It’s unknown at this time what impact the lawsuit might have on the tariffs, both in California and throughout the U.S.

Recently, Newsom has undergone cosmetic surgery for his brand. Newsom spent years presenting himself as one of the faces of the progressive movement, but President Donald Trump’s dispatching of fellow Golden State liberal Kamala Harris persuaded Newsom that to act on his well-established ambitions in 2028, he would need to ditch the unpopular agenda that doomed Harris. 

A quirky podcast conversation between Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Tim Walz (D-MN) revealed an important divide within the Democratic Party as it seeks to regain power.

Newsom kept urging Democrats to find ways to win back the voters they lost to President Donald Trump and the Republicans. Walz, the unsuccessful 2024 Democratic nominee for vice president, suggested the party find new ways to fight Trump and his allies.

Gavin Newsom, distancing himself from some of the liberal policies he embraced as California governor, has embarked on an experiment ahead of a potential presidential run: hosting a podcast featuring right-wing guests, including former Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon and conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The gambit has achieved one of Newsom’s perennial goals: making himself part of the nation’s political conversation as he seeks to portray himself as a disrupter within the Democratic Party.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) new podcast hosting prominent supporters of President Trump is raising questions about his political strategy as he wraps up his tenure as governor and keeps the door open to a 2028 presidential run.  

The first few episodes of “This is Gavin Newsom” have found the governor seeking common ground with conservative figures like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon. The show has also seen Newsom break with Democrats on the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports, calling it “deeply unfair.”